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First Thoughts (Part Two): Drama in the Men's 3k, Nielsen Defends, Arkansas Sweeps, Chepngetich Wins, Hedengren Earns NCAA Gold Yet Again & Cutting's Stunning Upset
What an awesome, awesome weekend.
Honestly, I'm still pumped from Friday and Saturday. I thought this year's NCAA D1 Indoor Championships was one of the more entertaining indoor national meets in recent memory. And throughout all of it, our media team of Lauren Cawley, Cory Mull and Andrew LeMay did a fantastic job covering it all in Fayetteville.
Saturday left us with stunning results, head-scratching tactical developments and a healthy dose of drama. Let's just dive straight in and see what insights we can pull...
BYU's Carter Cutting Pulls Off Stunning Upset to Win NCAA Mile Title
Jane Hedengren was not the only BYU runner to earn their first NCAA title this weekend. That's because Carter Cutting pulled off a stunning win on Saturday. In fact, it may have been the most surprising victory among any distance event at the NCAA D1 Indoor Championships this past weekend.
Throughout Saturday's mile race, Cutting was very deliberate about each move he made. He started out in the latter-half of the pack, but with each lap, slowly moved up a spot...and then another...and then another. With 400 meters to go, just as Virginia's Gary Martin was about to go to the front, Cutting made his own surge. He refused to give up the inside rail and began to press the pace as the leader.
That move was smart from the perspective of retaining an All-American spot and for ensuring a strong placement at the top of this field. However, in most racing scenarios, that move wasn't going to earn someone the national title...or so we thought.
Over the final two laps, the pack behind Cutting slowly evolved into chaos. Martin pushed to the front, but eventually faded while Virginia Tech's George Couttie could only do so much on the inside rail. Washington's Thomas Diamond made some noise on the last curve before going lactic on the home stretch and Michigan's Trent McFarland timed his close too late.
Make no mistake, Cutting's kick over the final two laps was very impressive -- he went out and took this win rather than just having the field break in his favor. And yet, at the same time, no one could really challenge Cutting largely because they were all fighting each other in the pack behind him!
Regardless, this was a fantastic upset win for Cutting. We were high on him going into the national meet, but we didn't expect him to win the national title.
As for the rest of the field, Virginia Tech's George Couttie snagged runner-up honors by simply following Cutting on the inside rail. Sure, that was a borderline impossible spot to get out of -- and he almost certainly wasn't going to win the national title in that position -- but not having to battle the chaos in the pack allowed him to salvage a good result.
Truthfully, the same could have been said for Michigan's Trent McFarland. He unleashed a major kick on the final curve, rushing to the finish line to secure bronze. And given the position he was in, that was a shockingly strong result.
McFarland clearly wanted to reserve a big-time kick for the final lap. That is, after all, how he has built his reputation over the last few years. And tactically speaking, he's as good as they come.
The issue, however, is that McFarland failed to get any decent positioning during this race. Heck, he was in last place going into the final 100 meters! If he wanted to win gold, it wasn't going to happen from that spot.
Even so, McFarland salvaged a strong result. He should be really proud of how he turned a bad tactical situation into a productive performance.
There weren't too many surprises throughout the rest of this field. Martin (4th) held his own, but he likely exerted too much energy when he was trying to battle Cutting for the lead. And truthfully, Martin just wasn't at his peak form this season -- something we already had a hint of going into the national meet.
Oregon's Wilma Nielsen Defends NCAA Mile Title With Big Kick in Tactical Affair
Going into last year's indoor national meet, I felt that Oregon's Wilma Nielsen was the best overall miler in the NCAA.
I felt that way going coming into this season, I felt that way after she loss to Riley Chamberlain at the Boston U. Valentine Invite and I felt that way going into the NCAA D1 Indoor Championships.
And now, I feel validated.
Tactically speaking, there is not another miler in the NCAA who is as good as Nielsen. She can win in any race scenario, she has a killer kick, her positioning is always excellent and her raw fitness is overwhelmingly elite.
All of those skills and strengths are the reasons why she secured the second NCAA mile title of her career on Saturday.
This race was a jog fest from the start and it largely stayed that way until the final 400 meters. With two laps to go, BYU's Riley Chamberlain began to press the pace from the front, quickening her stride while the field behind her started to shuffle. And with one lap remaining, it was Wilma Nielsen directly behind her with Washington State's Rosemary Longisa hanging on Chamberlain's shoulder.
But what Nielsen did on the back straightaway of the final lap, moving off the inside rail and sitting behind Longisa, ensured that she wasn't going to get boxed in. And when Longisa moved onto the rail going into the final curve, Nielsen was left with the picture-perfect opportunity: swing off the last bend and use her momentum to catapult towards gold.
Sure enough, that is exactly what happened.
Now, in fairness to Longisa, the Washington State star gave Nielsen an honest fight over the final 50 meters. It wasn't until Longisa stumbled a bit that the Oregon standout got any breathing room to claim the NCAA title in the final few meters.
And throughout all of this, it was NC State freshman Sadie Engelhardt who once again showcased tremendous poise despite her youth. Sure, her position going into the final lap wasn't ideal, but her kick was so lethal that there was a very, very brief moment where I thought, "Is this Wolfpack rookie gonna win gold?"
When it comes to Nielsen, this win is hardly surprising and we didn't necessarily learn anything new about her. If anything, we were simply validated in our belief that she is the best miler in the country -- and there's not really a debate.
There is now an argument that Nielsen is the best collegiate miler in NCAA history. She's run 4:21 in the mile (NCAA #2 all-time), she's won two national titles in that event, she anchored her DMR to a national title on Friday and she still has another season of competition ahead of her.
Sure, other women such as Jenny Simpson (née Barringer), Maia Ramsden and maybe even Suzy Favor Hamilton have arguments for that same status. But what you can't deny is that Nielsen belongs with the all-time greats in nearly every measurable aspect.
When it comes to Longisa, I gotta admit, I was impressed with how she ran this race. After putting together incredible, all-out efforts in time-based settings this season, I questioned if that fitness could translate to the tactical nature of the national stage.
Thankfully, any doubts about those tactics were dismissed after seeing how Longisa navigated that final lap. If she didn't stumble, then there's a real question of whether or not she would have won the national title (I still don't think she would have, but it would have been really close).
Engelhardt, meanwhile, is just impossible to dislike. She very narrowly missed out on silver with an incredibly lethal kick and her poise in a major field (despite her youth) is always so impressive to me. The NC State star is absolutely going to win a national title in the mile or the 1500 meters at some point in the next two years. If she's this dangerous as a freshman, then I can't imagine how good she'll be as a junior or senior.
Oklahoma State's Billah Jepkirui (4th) ended up with a strong result, but she was never really in the mix for gold. Sure, she was directly behind Chamberlain going into the final two laps, but getting into a decent position before the final lap required A LOT of small surges and jumps. That is the easiest way to lose momentum and it showed in the closing moments.
Even so, a decent kick on the final straight gave Jepkirui a top-half All-American honor. And considering where she was at performance-wise entering these winter months, I'd say that is a massively successful result.
We then come to BYU's Riley Chamberlain, the 5th place finisher in this field and the NCAA record holder in the mile from earlier this season.
This is yet another individual performance on the national stage that has left us shrugging our shoulders with Chamberlain. It also doesn't help that she settled for a 14th place finish over 3000 meters in a 15-person field later that day.
Make no mistake, Chamberlain is among the best DMR anchor legs that the NCAA Indoor Championships has ever seen. She also has range that is beyond elite and her raw fitness is obviously among the best in the NCAA.
I also admire that she put herself in the lead with 400 meters to go and was the aggressor in the latter portion of this race -- if she was going to lose, at least it was going to be on her terms. She has a ton of my respect for that.
Even so, tactics on the national stage have become a somewhat clear weak point for Chamberlain.
None of this is to say that she's a bad runner (that feels ridiculous to even type out) and none of this is to say that a 5th place All-American honor in a historically talented field is a "bad" result.
And yet, it also seems fair to suggest that she's capable of more on this kind of stage.
Arkansas Duo of Tyrice Taylor & Rivaldo Marshall Go 1-2 Over 800 Meters On Their Home Track
Explaining how this 800-meter final played out on Saturday evening is actually fairly easy and pretty straightforward.
Penn State superstar Handal Roban put himself at the front of this field through the first 600 meters. And through the first-half of the race (400 meters), he led the pack with a 52-second split. However, slowly stalking Roban was Arkansas' Rivaldo Marshall on the inside rail and Texas A&M's Peter Narumbe on the outside of lane one with Arkansas' Tyrice Taylor right behind him.
Over that final lap, Roban clearly began to lose steam. On the back straightaway, Marshall found an opening on the inside rail and immediately took advantage of it, taking over the lead going into the final curve. At the same time, both Narumbe and Taylor passed Roban in lane two. And before you knew it, Arkansas had two guys at the front of the field with 100 meters to go -- and no one else in the race could do anything about it.
With momentum on their side, no traffic in their way and a two-person blockade holding off the pack, the Razorback men ultimately went 1-2 via Tyrice Taylor and Rivaldo Marshall, respectively. And frankly, they didn't seem to care who actually won NCAA gold -- they were just pumped to sweep!
As I reflect on this race, I want to start with Handal Roban. The Penn State superstar was the clear national title favorite over 800 meters this season. He ran 1:44 for this distance on two different occasions this winter, showcasing a level of fitness that the rest of the nation (sans Colin Sahlman) couldn't match.
That's why I'm a little perplexed about his approach on Saturday. Sure, I like that he led the field, but he simply wasn't aggressive enough. A 52.07 split through 400 meters is fine, but for a field of that caliber, that pace wasn't going to shake most of his competitors. And when you look at his two 1:44 (800) efforts from earlier this season, you'll find that he split 51.63 and 51.49 through his opening two laps.
That may not seem like a big difference, but in a race as tightly contested as the 800 meters, it matters quite a bit. And in the end, Roban was swallowed by the field, forced to settle for 7th place overall.
As for Taylor and Marshall, they were simply the best racers on Saturday. Both men looked exceptionally comfortable making their moves throughout that 800-meter battle. They made surges with conviction and, for the most part, put themselves in positions of strength.
I could try and offer further analysis, but...that's really all there is to say. They were just better than everyone else.
Penn State's Allon Clay put together an admirable kick of his own to swing off the final bend en route to a bronze medal. That result feels fitting for the overall season that he had. It also shows us that his finishing speed hasn't really diminished despite his raw talent taking a clear jump up over the last year.
Penn freshman Joseph Socarras (4th) also deserves massive kudos for the season he had. Despite being an inexperienced rookie, he cracked 1:47 (800) multiple times this winter and he did so when it mattered the most -- near the end of the season. Socarras showcased great poise this past weekend by not being passive, but not being overly aggressive, either.
That, in turn, led to a top-half All-American honor as just a freshman.
Clemson's Gladys Chepngetich Runs Away From Competition to Win NCAA Title Over 800 Meters
I gotta be honest, the women's 800-meter finals at the NCAA Indoor Championships was...well, boring. I'm not knocking how any of the athletes performed, but there simply wasn't much that happened.
Clemson's Gladys Chepngetich, a 1:58 (800) runner with an immense level of raw talent, put herself in the lead going through the first lap. Behind her was Arkansas' Sanu Jallow-Lockhart and Stanford's Juliette Whittaker...and that was basically the entire race.
Chepngetich literally went wire-to-wire en route to gold while Arkansas' Jallow-Lockhart and Analisse Batista took 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Whittaker barely missed the top-three, settling for a 4th place All-American result.
Truthfully, I don't even know what kind of analysis I can even offer on this race. Chepngetich deserved that national title and she ran very well, but there wasn't anything distinct she did to run away from the field.
Instead, she just let the race unfold behind her while she ran without any legitimate challenges. And sometimes, that's just the best method -- let your competition beat each other up and stay out of the way.
I thought Whittaker and Harvard's Sophia Gorriaran were going to be bigger threats on Saturday, but when there is absolutely zero movement from ANYONE in the race, it's hard to offer any feedback.
I can't help but wonder how this race would have played out if Penn State's Hayley Kitching had made the finals...
Heavy Contact On Final Curve Leads to Habtom Samuel DQ & Colin Sahlman Winning NCAA 3k Title
Buckle up, this is a long one.
In what was the most thrilling, entertaining and dramatic race of the entire weekend, Northern Arizona's Colin Sahlman, New Mexico's Habtom Samuel and Villanova's Marco Langon found themselves doing battle over the final laps of the men's 3000 meters.
With one lap to go, Sahlman made a big move to the front with Samuel and Langon close behind. Then, the final curve came -- and that's where all hell broke loose.
Langon, who was approaching Samuel's outside shoulder in lane two, fought for positioning. Samuel, however, rushed to intercept Langon's move with Sahlman in very close proximity.
That pair of surges led to some contact on Sahlman whose stride was very clearly interrupted, leading to a minor stumble on the bend. Samuel was able to take advantage of that as he eventually got some space next to Sahlman.
Over the final stretch, both men stormed to the finish line, pouncing for gold. And in the end, it was Samuel who emerged victorious over Sahlman by a margin of just 0.005 seconds, 7:41.648 to 7:41.653. Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum out-kicked Langon in the final moments to earn bronze.
After the race, Sahlman was understandably upset. He felt that his stride had been interrupted and that he would have won the race without the interference. Samuel, however, claimed that he was simply defending his position.
When the officials reviewed the tape, they concluded that Samuel had impeded the progress of another runner. As a result, he was disqualified and the national title was given to the Northern Arizona superstar.
After speaking with multiple coaches involved, we've come to learn that Samuel's DQ was the result of an "officials review" -- NOT the result of a protest from another team. But when Samuel was officially DQ'd, New Mexico DID file a protest, arguing that Langon was doing the impeding. The officials, however, largely dismissed the protest and finalized the result.
The big, glaring question from this race is something that may be debated for quite a while: Should Habtom Samuel have been disqualified from that 3000-meter national title race?
Illegal contact first became a concern with 100 meters to go. Langon was trying to cut in, but Samuel physically held his out his arms between both Sahlman and Langon to keep an open path for himself. And sure, you could absolutely argue that the extension of his arms was questionable, but if you're the New Mexico men, then there's also a case that Langon didn't have enough room to cut in.
When Sahlman began to stumble with 80-ish meters to go, you could tell that he had clearly been bumped. But was that stumble the result of Samuel making voluntary contact? Or was that the result of Langon making contact with Samuel who was only reacting in turn?
It's extremely difficult to figure out exactly what happened and it's even more challenging to figure out what was an impediment and what was the act of defending one's position. But at the end of the day, Sahlman was the victim of at least some contact and that clearly impacted his race. With Samuel being the one who made the contact, he was ultimately disqualified.
Based on everything that I rewatched, and based on what I've heard from certain people, this is probably the correct call. Or at least, it's the most correct call...strictly based on the letter of the law.
New Mexico has a valid enough argument about defending one's position. However, Samuel holding out his arms to keep a space open for his stride largely matches up with the violation of an NCAA rule which states, "any action that causes another runner to break stride or lose momentum is grounds for disqualification."
With all DQ drama aside, we can now reflect on Colin Sahlman's decision to scratch from the 800 meters and the mile in favor of the DMR/3k double. And as it turns out, that decision proved to be brilliant. This weekend was a massive success for the Northern Arizona star. His fitness, his tactics, his kicks, his positioning...all of it was phenomenal.
With this title, Sahlman's resume feels complete in a way that it didn't before. Sure, he had run ridiculously fast times of 1:44 (800) and 3:33 (1500) in his NCAA career, but he had never won an individual title. Now, he finally has one along with a national title in the DMR. And when we talk about the greats of this era, he'll deserve to be highlighted -- something that would have been tricky to do without an NCAA gold medal.
As for Samuel, I'm sure that he's disappointed with how his season ended. Even so, I walked away feeling really good about the New Mexico superstar. His raw talent has always been exceptional, but he has evolved into a complete racer. His kick has clearly made significant improvements and his understanding of positioning has also been refined. He understands his own skillset and, more importantly, he knows how to use it.
We then come to Langon, a massive title threat who fell just short of his desired success in both the 5000 meters and the 3000 meters. And no, it's not like the Villanova superstar ran poorly -- but positionally, there are a few things to clean up.
Langon's approach -- which was to steadily climb up the field, sit on the shoulder of the leaders and then kick hard off the curve -- didn't feature many errors in terms of execution. However, the Wildcat ace never found an optimal position in either of his races, forcing him to settle for silver and bronze.
And yet, despite the outcome in both of those races, I absolutely believe in Langon as a national title threat for later this spring.
Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum also deserves a major nod of respect. He wasn't a focal name of this field -- mainly because he avoided the last lap drama -- but he kicked down a fading Marco Langon to earn a silver medal (after Habtom Samuel was DQ'd).
This is the version of Simeon Birnbaum that we have been waiting to see. We could see the Oregon star develop into a lethal distance threat over the last year, but we were still waiting for a statement performance from him. Thankfully, that performance came this past Saturday.
Now, we can't help but wonder if the Duck sophomore should be put in the same conversation as Samuel, Sahlman and Langon moving forward.
Also, another outstanding race from Arkansas' Ernest Cheruiyot. He has made tremendous progress this year and his tactics have made dramatic improvements. You could argue that he is the most underrated distance runner in the NCAA right now after seeing what he did on Friday and Saturday.
BYU's Jane Hedengren Goes Wire-to-Wire, Wins NCAA 3k Title in 8:36 As Doris Lemngole Withdraws With Injury
Just like the women's 800 meters, there is very little to analyze or talk about when it comes to the women's 3000-meter finals.
As expected, BYU's Jane Hedengren went straight to the front of this 3000-meter field. And over time, she cranked up the pace, ultimately dropping her competition and significantly gapping New Mexico's Pamela Kosgei with four laps to go.
In the end, Hedengren soloed a brilliant 3000-meter time of 8:36. That is a meet record and it's one of the single-fastest collegiate 3k performances ever seen. Although, funny enough, it's not even the fastest 3k time that the BYU freshman has posted this winter.
The rest of the field featured very few surprises. The New Mexico duo of Pamela Kosgei (2nd) and Marion Jepngetich (3rd) ran incredibly well, thriving in a race that was simply an all-out test of fitness (which suited their skillsets).
The same could be said for Iowa State's Betty Kipkore (4th) while Liberty's Allie Zealand (5th) benefitted from having fresh legs. It should be noted that athletes in this field who were doubling back from the mile or the DMR struggled quite a bit over 3000 meters.
However, the biggest piece of news is in regards to an athlete who didn't even race.
I am, of course, talking about Alabama's Doris Lemngole. After the Crimson Tide megastar competed over 5000 meters on Friday night, earning silver, she was scratched from the 3000 meters. The culprit? A foot injury that she had been battling since the Millrose Games.
This is the part where we could talk about the dynamics of the Hedengren/Lemngole rivalry and how this national meet impacted their legacies.
But frankly, who cares?
No one is going to think less of Lemngole because of an injury and no one is going to say that Hedengren wasn't deserving of her national titles. Sometimes, life just gets in the way.
